Sprout Tower
by zephyrspecs
Summary: Tenzin is destined to become the next Elder of the Sprout Tower School, despite the many trials he will have to pass to get there. But is the world ready for Tenzin?


**One: The Boy in the Well**

Sage Dawa arrived in Azalea Town on an afternoon in the middle of spring. Bugsy, the local gym leader, greeted him upon his arrival in the Azalea Gym. Although Bugsy was himself quite young, he trained with most of the kids in Azalea Town.

The back room of the Azalea Gym was cluttered with books and magazines, not to mention shelves lined with miniatures depicting many species of bug Pokémon. "I painted this one," said Bugsy, his expression proud as he picked up a small figure depicting Scyther, its scythe-like claws meticulously painted in a metallic shade. "Pretty good, huh?"

"It's very lifelike," replied Dawa, in an even tone that betrayed very little.

Bugsy grinned. "You wanna know who in Azalea town to give your test to, right?" He began shuffling through a series of papers that were stacked on a small desk in the corner. "Ummm… how old, again?"

The Sage nodded. He held the beads around his neck with one hand, turning a single bead between his thumb and forefinger. "Anyone between the ages of 10 and 16. How many are there here in Azalea Town?"

"Four." One at a time, Bugsy pulled sheets of paper out of an overstuffed folder. "Let's see… here we go. They don't all come to the Gym on the same day. Maybe you'd like to visit their houses?"

"That would be wonderful, if you can accompany me."

"Sure thing!" said Bugsy, his demeanor irreverently cheerful. "It's a small town, you know, everyone lives close by."

With that, the young Gym leader led Dawa out into Azalea Town, where the setting sun cast a pink glow over the nearby houses, all simple with thatched roofs, bordered by trees with long shadows.

#

Dawa presented his test to the first three of Azalea Town's children. None qualified.

"There's one more," said Bugsy. "But I doubt he's gone home yet. He's usually out by the well, playing with the Slowpoke down there."

Sage Dawa looked to the sky as if questioning Bugsy's information. "It will be dark soon," he said. "The child doesn't return home by now?"

"I don't think so — not usually, anyway. His mom works until later on in the night." The Gym leader shrugged and pointed in the direction of the well. The sign by its entrance could just barely be seen under the encroaching darkness. "If you'd like to look for him, he's probably over there."

Dawa nodded. "Thank you, I'll look for him."

"No problem! I'll be back at the Gym if you need me..."

Alone now, Dawa approached the well. Rainmaker Well, as he knew it to be called — legend had it that the Slowpoke residing in the well had once ended a drought that threatened Azalea's continued existence. A single ladder descended into the well. Dawa picked up a pebble — small, evenly weighted — and dropped it into the dark, open jaws of the well. Several seconds later, it made a dull _plop_ as it hit the water below.

Following that, a small-seeming voice echoed, "Who's there?" Although the questioning seemed to have brave intentions, the voice quivered as if tinged with fear.

"My name is Dawa," said the Sage. "I'm a Sage from the Sprout Tower school."

The smaller voice replied from within the well, "What's a Sage doing here?"

"I am looking for the next Elder of the Sprout Tower, among all the children of Johto. Would you like to come up here so I may speak with you?"

There was a moment of hesitation, before the small voice said (somewhat hesitant) "Okay." A few seconds later, a boy emerged from the well. He was twelve years old (according to Bugsy); his limbs were gangly and seemed somehow disproportionate to his body. Dark curls grazed his forehead, frizzy from the damp air inside the well.

Dawa smiled at the boy, politely more than anything, and extended his hand in greeting. The child looked cautious for a moment before accepting to shake the Sage's hand. "What's your name, child?"

"Tenzin Seba," he said.

"Tenzin, I have one question for you to answer. If you answer correctly, then you might be invited to a big selection tournament. Would you like to try answering my question?"

Tenzin's eyes moved from Dawa to the shapes of Azalea Town's buildings beyond, and then back to Dawa. "Okay," he said. "I'll try."

"The place I come from is called the Sprout Tower, in Violet City," said Dawa. "The Tower moves from left to right in order to protect it from earthquakes, since it is over one hundred feet tall. Many Sages like myself live and battle in the tower. My question is this: Which part of the tower moves the most?"

The intermittent, vibrating wail of a cicada somewhere nearby sounded out over Azalea and the surrounding Ilex Forest, as young Tenzin's face took on a look of concentration. Then, in a fleeting moment, a spark of brightness crossed his studious expression. The boy answered, "The people and Pokémon battling inside the tower."

Dawa stopped twisting the beads around his neck and focused his attention on the boy, Tenzin. Tenzin was looking back, his head tilted slightly to the right in curious anticipation of the Sage's response.

"Yes." Dawa smiled, this time genuinely. "That's correct, young Tenzin."


End file.
